Free food: Diet 7-Up Challenge

Anyhow, a few days ago, I got this curious package. It was postmarked from an address I didn't recognize and to be on the safe side, I opened it in the lobby. You never know what kind of wackos are out there. But instead of finding something obscene or otherwise, I got this little marketing beauty: the Diet 7-Up taste test challenge kit.

7-Up loves their new product so much that they're shelling out a ton of money to send potential customers a can of Diet 7-Up, Sierra Mist Free and Sprite Zero. They even give you an instruction sheet on how to conduct a blind taste test. 7-Up wants you to chill the box for at least one hour, take out three glasses, mark each one with a letter, have people randomly taste them, then tally up the scores.

I didn't not do it so randomly. The first time around, I'll admit, I did think 7-Up had the better lemon-lime flavor. It was crisp and refreshing compared to the other two. But on further inspection, I thought they tasted all the same. My classmate Matt Bigelowpointed out the fact that drinking all of these beverages is pointless: they have no caffeine or calories. What makes it any better or different than water? It's just fizzy and probably eats away at your tooth enamel anyways.